Consensus Ranks: OF, C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, and RP and SP.

Tiered Ranks: C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, NL OF, AL SP, NL SP, Holds.

After all the positions with all the disagreement, we hit one of the most difficult positions to fill… and we all agree. I mean, look at Alex Avila, who will most probably regress off of his numbers from last year — number eight right across the board. Apparently, I ‘love’ Mr. K, J.P. Arencibia, and showed that love by ranking him a full two spots ahead of everyone else. Even Jonathan Lucroy, who appears halfway down the list hand has very moderate upside, shows up around the same place on everyone’s list.

So which catcher inspired the most disagreement? Maybe it’s Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who finally paired a nice batting average on balls in play with his low-contact approach last year. Will he fend off Ryan Lavarnway (who didn’t quite play enough catcher to be a catcher this year) another season? We can’t seem to agree on John Buck, but maybe that’s because some of us choose to focus on how far away the new park’s walls are, and some of us choose to focus on how much shorter the walls are in that new left field. Some of us think Devin Mesoraco is going to take that job and run, some of us think that Ryan Hanigan will charm his veteran-loving manager into most of the playing time. Oh, and finally (mercifully), the Mets writer on staff liked the Mets player a little more than the rest of the rankers. Phew.

Catch yourself a catcher.

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My crystal ball doesn’t just see the future of random players and how it relates to fantasy leagues. It also knows who will be leading the league in each 5×5 category! Who knew a crystal ball could be so valuable? I will now boldly unveil your 2012 hitting league leaders…

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With the 2012 season just a few short weeks away, it’s time for the return of the Roto Riteup to the RotoGraphs lineup. If you were not reading the site late last season, this will be new to you. And you will enjoy it.

Now, onto the notes for the day, most of which involve injuries of some kind:

–  Francisco Liriano is one the biggest enigmas in baseball at the moment, right behind Jeff Francoeur and David Appelman. Liriano pitched for the Twins on Tuesday, and while he looked good early in his stint, he got rocked a little bit during his last inning of work against the Toronto Blue Jays. After the game, Liriano talked about how he feels like he’s trying to overthrow and rush things on the mound, which is not a recipe for big league success. His fastball was reported to be in the low-90s, but if he can’t control his fastball, he’ll be a sitting duck again this season. I’d take a flyer on Liriano in the last round or two of standard leagues if there’s any indication that he’s calmed down enough to pitch effectively.

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Calling Mark Buehrle a sleeper feels somehow wrong. He absolutely fits the criteria; he’s being drafted late in drafts with potential for a strong year, but he isn’t exactly under-the-radar the way someone like Bryan LaHair is. He’s less undiscovered and more unfairly unloved.

No matter how you parse the data, there is no way around the fact that Buehrle is an absolute workhorse. Since he came into the league in 2000, no one has more 200 IP seasons than Buehrle, who has never failed to throw 200 innings in a season where he started more than three games. Durability is one of those traits that benefit real teams more than fantasy ones, and while it’s certainly his most heralded trait, it isn’t the only thing he brings to the table. Read the rest of this entry »

Position battles are always a hot topic this time of year. It’s highly unlikely that all 30 teams are set at a particular position this early in spring training. Rookies and veterans alike are always snatching each other’s jobs as they vie for a coveted spot on the major league roster. Today we’ll be looking at shortstop battles, where there are surprisingly few thus far.

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Monday featured the third base version of the ongoing consensus rankings project and the results actually did reveal a pretty good amount of consensus from our four great minds, but there were some details and departures in opinions worth pointing out.

First of all, and this was teased out in the comments, it’s fairly likely we’re going to see names like Miguel Cabrera, Hanley Ramirez, and Mark Trumbo on the list of the third base eligible come May (for most league formats, probably much earlier). In the case of the former two, it would shake up the rankings in the top five considerably, and there’s a good chance many of you are targeting Cabrera as the overall #1 pick given his new digs in the infield.

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Consensus Ranks: OF, C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, and RP and SP.

Tiered Ranks: C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, NL OF, AL SP, NL SP, Holds.

Oh Dee Gordon! Expect more Dee Gordon coverage. Because that guy is a buck-twenty-five soaking wet, can’t take a walk to save his life, and might have problems getting out of a paper bag with a bat. But he’s got elite speed and plays shortstop, so he’ll be an important player worth considering from different angles. Emilio Bonifacio might not actually play the position in real life, but he can join this particular party.

The rest of the list features a lot of agreement, even if some of us like Tyler Pastornicky a little more than others. Jhonny Peralta could regress and still be pretty valuable, so it’s not surprising that he showed up in different slots on the list. Oh, and look at this — the Mets fan once again hates on the Mets guy on the rankings. Something something self-hatred. But Ruben Tejada has maybe .280/20 upside, and even if Ryan Theriot (lite) with a glove is useful for a Major League team, it might not be great for your fantasy team.

The shortstops!

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There are a number of position battles that have caught people’s attention this spring and with it getting down to crunch time for fantasy baseball drafts, it’s important to know how things are going to play out.  One spot, in particular that has drawn plenty of interest is the battle for second base in Kansas City.  Originally, the favorite was youngster Johnny Giavotella, but with both Chris Getz and (gulp!) Yuniesky Betancourt having decent springs, things are getting a little interesting.

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After batting exactly .300 with over 20 home runs and 20 steals in two consecutive seasons, Shin-Soo Choo’s fantasy value was at an all-time high entering last year. I was all aboard the Soo Choo train, and owned him throughout his frustrating injury plagued season. The Korean outfielder hit just .251 with eight home runs and 12 steals in 358 plate appearances. It was a disappointing season, to say the least.

The poor season was certainly unfortunate, but this may be the perfect time to take advantage of his cheap price and acquire him at a discount. A broken thumb last season seems to be the biggest reason for his struggles, along with a DUI and an oblique injury. The thumb injury would have the most correlation with the poor numbers though, as his plate discipline numbers remained consistent with past performances but his power and BABIP both dropped.

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With the 2012 season just a few short weeks away, it’s time for the return of the Roto Riteup to the RotoGraphs lineup. If you were not reading the site late last season, this will be new to you. And you will enjoy it.

Now, onto the notes:

• – Hopefully you’ve heard by now that Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter is questionable for opening day after discovering he has a bulging cervical disk. Lance Lynn, previously slotted for the bullpen, will begin to prepare to open the season in the rotation just in case Carpenter can’t make it back. Lynn was a starter throughout his minor league career, but his results weren’t spectacular. His stats weren’t stunning, but his repertoire is nice. Lynn has a sweet power-sinker and a decent curve, so there’s no reason to think he couldn’t at least fill in as a starter. If you play in a dynasty or similar format, make sure to snatch Lynn up. At the very least, he’ll fill your RP slot with Ks and the occasional spot start. Read the rest of this entry »